Author: E. DeWayne Swann

How Jesus Died for You

Yesterday we celebrated the Resurrected Savior Jesus Christ!

Below are facts on How Jesus Died for You. I do not think that we really understand how much Jesus did for us. Please share this post to spread the Good News of Jesus.

 

Crucifixion was invented by the Persians in 300 BC, and perfected by the Romans in 100 BC.

 

1. It is the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term “excruciating.”

 

2. It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of male criminals.

 

3. Jesus was stripped naked and His clothing was divided by the Roman guards. This was in fulfillment of Psalm 22:18, “They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”

 

4. The Crucifixion of Jesus guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death.

 

5. Jesus’ knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, and He was forced to bear His weight with the muscles of His thigh, which is not an anatomical position that is possible to maintain for more than a few minutes without a severe cramp in the muscles of the thigh and calf.

 

6. Jesus’ weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them. As the strength of the muscles of Jesus’ lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders.

 

7. Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus’ shoulders were dislocated. Minutes later Jesus’ elbows and wrists became dislocated.

 

8. The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud.

 

9. In addition, prophecy was fulfilled in Psalm 22:14, “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint.”

 

10. After Jesus’ wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall.

 

11. These traction forces caused His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards, in a most unnatural state. His chest wall was permanently in a position of maximal respiratory inspiration. In order to exhale, Jesus was physiologically required to force His body.

 

12. In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs.

 

13. His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration. Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe.

 

14. The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in the severe cramps, and in an anatomically compromised position.

 

15. Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active. The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe.

 

16. The process of respiration caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute terror of asphyxiation.

 

17. As the six hours of the Crucifixion wore on, Jesus was less and less able to bear His weight on His legs, as His thigh and calf muscles became increasingly exhausted. There was increasing dislocation of His wrists, elbows, and shoulders, and further elevation of His chest wall, making His breathing more and more difficult. Within minutes of crucifixion, Jesus became severely dyspneic (short of breath).

 

18. His movements up and down the Cross to breathe caused excruciating pain in His wrist, His feet, and His dislocated elbows and shoulders.

 

19. The movements became less frequent as Jesus became increasingly exhausted, but the terror of imminent death by asphyxiation forced Him to continue in His efforts to breathe.

 

20. Jesus’ lower limb muscles developed excruciating cramps from the effort of pushing down on His legs, to raise His body, so that He could breathe out, in their anatomically compromised position.

 

21. The pain from His two shattered median nerves in His wrists exploded with every movement.

 

22. Jesus was covered in blood and sweat.

 

23. The blood was a result of the Scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat was a result of His violent involuntary attempts effort to expire air from His lungs. Throughout all this, He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds, and the thieves on both sides of Him were jeering, swearing, and laughing at Him. In addition, Jesus’ own mother was watching.

 

24. Physiologically, Jesus’ body was undergoing a series of catastrophic and terminal events.

 

25. Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation of His lungs, He was now in a state of hypo-ventilation (inadequate ventilation).

 

26. His blood oxygen level began to fall, and He developed Hypoxia (low blood oxygen). In addition, because of His restricted respiratory movements, His blood carbon dioxide (CO2) level began to rise, a condition known as Hypercritical.

 

27. This rising CO2 level stimulated His heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen and the removal of CO2.

 

28. The Respiratory Center in Jesus’ brain sent urgent messages to his lungs to breathe faster, and Jesus began to pant.

 

29. Jesus’ physiological reflexes demanded that He took deeper breaths, and He involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain. The agonizing movements spontaneously started several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd who jeered Him, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin.

 

30. However, due to the nailing of Jesus to the Cross and His increasing exhaustion, He was unable to provide more oxygen to His oxygen-starved body.

 

31. The twin forces of Hypoxia (too little oxygen) and Hypercapnia (too much CO2) caused His heart to beat faster and faster, and Jesus developed Tachycardia.

 

32. Jesus’ heart beat faster and faster, and His pulse rate was probably about 220 beats/minute, the maximum normally sustainable.

 

33. Jesus had drunk nothing for 15 hours, since 6 pm the previous evening. Jesus had endured a scourging that nearly killed Him.

 

34. He was bleeding from all over His body following the Scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails in His wrists and feet, and the lacerations following His beatings and falls.

 

35. Jesus was already very dehydrated, and His blood pressure fell alarmingly.

 

36. His blood pressure was probably about 80/50.

 

37. He was in First Degree Shock, with Hypovolemia (low blood volume), Tachycardia (excessively fast Heart Rate), Tachypnoea (excessively fast Respiratory Rate), and Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

 

38. By about noon Jesus’ heart probably began to fail.
39. Jesus’ lungs probably began to fill up with Pulmonary Oedema.

 

40. This only served to exacerbate His breathing, which was already severely compromised.

 

41. Jesus was in Heart Failure and Respiratory Failure.

 

42. Jesus said, “I thirst” because His body was crying out for fluids.

 

43. Jesus was in desperate need of an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life

 

44. Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating to death.

 

45. At this stage, Jesus probably developed a Hemopericardium.

 

46. Plasma and blood gathered in the space around His heart called the Pericardium.

 

47. This fluid around His heart caused Cardiac Tamponade (fluid around His heart, which prevented Jesus’ heart from beating properly).

 

48. Because of the increasing physiological demands on Jesus’ heart, and the advanced state of Hemopericardium, Jesus probably eventually sustained Cardiac Rupture. His heart literally burst. This was probably the cause of His death.

 

49. To slow the process of death the soldiers put a small wooden seat on the Cross, which would allow Jesus the “privilege” of bearing His weight on his sacrum.

 

50. The effect of this was that it could take up to nine days to die on a Cross.

 

51. When the Romans wanted to expedite death, they would simply break the legs of the victim, causing the victim to suffocate in a matter of minutes. This was called Crurifragium.

 

52. At three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus said, “Tetelastai,” meaning, “It is finished.” At that moment, He gave up His Spirit, and He died.

 

53. When the soldiers came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead. Not a bone of His body was broken, in fulfillment of prophecy (above).

 

54. Jesus died after six hours of the most excruciating and terrifying torture ever invented.

 

55. Jesus died so that ordinary people like you and me could go to Heaven.

All He Asks You is to Love Him, Your Lord, Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind!! Can’t you even do this for Him?

The Last Words

The ending of Chapter 23 of “Something to Ponder” This day after Palm Sunday and as we go into Holy Week of the Passion of Christ, I what to take a look at the words of Jesus from the cross.

 

Please if you will just let me have the freedom to put what I see as what our Savior was saying from the cross in my words, I am not trying to put words in His mouth or to take away from the scripture in any way, I just want you to Ponder, please and just look through my eyes for a moment.

 

One:

Luke 23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” NKJV

Forgive who? The ones that put Him on the cross? The criminals on either side of Him?

Luke 23:32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  NKJV

I believe that he was talking about all of us, I think he was saying “Abba, Daddy please forgive them for all their sins for this is the reason You sent Me for “not to condemn the world, but that the world through Me might be saved” for I am now taking their place.”

And at that moment all sin was paid for ALL everyone, from Adam to the last person to ever be born on this earth of ours, ALL. We just have to accept that Forgiveness.

 

Two:

Luke 23:39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  NKJV

I now see Jesus looking at the lowest of low, they didn’t like to just crucify anyone, he had to be beyond forgiveness from a man because they would at that time just make slaves out of them, but this one man, this sorry good for nothing sinner in his last hours ask for, and accepted the forgiveness of Jesus, and as a result, I believe we all should hear the same words of Jesus say at the moment of our conversion, “No need to worry I assure you that one day you will be with me in Heaven”.

It does not matter how bad we think we are Christ will and has forgiven you.

 

Three:

John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”  27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.  NKJV

I now see Jesus looking down at his Mother and his young disciple John standing, and I am sure they were crying and in pain at what they are witnessing. And I am sure Mary did as we all do at those moments when we are losing someone to death, we remember times in the past. We see in Luke:

Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

We see the angel say “highly favored one,” and “blessed are you among women!”

This is “highly favored and blessed”? Having to now see her son face Calvary’s Cross. And the story goes on:

 

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”  NKJV

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. NKJV

She knew that this child of hers is of God, and she knew that this was in some way Him doing His “Father’s business.”

As we see also in Luke:

Luke 2:41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”  50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. NKJV

Did you see that “His mother kept all these things in her heart”? She kept all this, that Jesus was the son of God, and He was about His Father’s business.

And then His disciple John, over and over said that he was the one that Jesus loved:

John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved…NKJV

John 20:2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved…NKJV

John 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” NKJV

John 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following…NKJV

 

Remember he was one of “His favorites”. And if you will allow me to tell you what I hear in the verses of Jesus saying it is:

“Mother, look at John, (this student of mine that I know loves me, and that I love,) he will be taking care of you from now on”.

“John, look after Mother for me, (I know you love me, so take care of Mother)”. And then the Bible says “And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home”.

John took care of Her as if She was his own Mother.

 

Four:

Mark 15:33Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  NKJV

Every Easter I hear preachers preach and say how God turned His back on Jesus while on the cross because He is Holy and cannot look upon all that sin that He had to bear. I’m sorry but I can’t even a little except that. Yes, God is Holy, look with me back at the sinners in the Old Testament that God Himself promised He would never leave or Forsake.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” NKJV

Joshua 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. NKJV

1 Samuel 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. NKJV

1 Chronicles 28:20 And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God — my God — will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. NKJV

Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. NKJV

Psalms 37:28 For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. NKJV

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ NKJV

Isaiah 41:17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. NKJV

And then the New Testament in Hebrews:

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” NKJV

Are you seeing this, that God looked at all these sinners and all the sin ever since Eve took that first bite of that fruit, until the last sin that will ever be committed? So, what makes people think that God will turn his back on His “Only Begotten Son”? Because of sin, again I just don’t buy it. The first thing Jesus said on the cross was “Father, forgive them” “Father” He is there with him, and the last thing He said was “Father, into Your hands” Again, “Father” are you understanding this, at what point did God leave, and at what point did God return? I believe that this was in reference to Psalms 22, at this time if you wanted someone to look at a Psalm, they would say the first few words of that Psalm. Like “Make a joyful noise” you would look up Psalms 100 so look with me if you will and notice the parts I underline:

The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.

Psalms 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. 11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen!  You have answered Me.

 

And now we see the Praise for delivering and rescuing Him did you catch that last part of verse 21 “You have answered Me”

and the chapter goes on.

 

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.  28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. NKJV

 

Do you see all the references here to the crucifixion?  I believe that our Savior was just saying look up Psalms 22, a Psalm that was written a thousand years ago when David prophesied what I am going through right now.

 

Five:

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”  29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

We look back at the first time Jesus asked for something to drink,

John 4:7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” …NKJV and then:

John 4:10 …you would have asked Him, (talking about Himself) and He would have given you living water.”  NKJV and He has Living Water:

John 4:14 …but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” NKJV

 

All through the crucifixion we see the humanity of Jesus. At any time, He could have claimed His Deity of the very Son of God. I remember a song that was sung a lot when I was growing up:

“He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels” by Ray Overholt:

 

They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where he prayed

They led him thru the streets in shame

They spat upon the savior so pure and free from sin

They said, “crucify him: he’s to blame

He could have called ten thousand angels

To destroy the world and set him free

He could have called ten thousand angels

But he died alone, for you and me

Upon his precious head, they placed a crown of thorns

They laughed and said, “Behold the king”

They struck him, and they cursed him and mocked his holy name

All alone he suffered everything

When they nailed him to the cross, his mother stood nearby,

He said, “Woman, behold thy son!”

He cried, “I thirst for water,” but they gave him none to drink

Then the sinful work of man was done.

He was all Human and all God. So, then He had to come as a human because you cannot kill God. I love a quote I heard from Major Ian Thomas and it goes something like this “Jesus being God never ever acted more than being a man, and man being man never ever acts less than being God.” So yes, as the song says “He could have called ten thousand angels, to destroy the world and set him free He could have called ten thousand angels,” and I truly don’t want you to miss this “But he died alone, for you and me”.

 

Six:

John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.  NKJV

 

Back to “He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels” last verse:

To the howling mob he yielded: he did not for mercy cry

The cross of shame he took alone

And when he cried, “It’s finished,” he gave himself to die

Salvation’s wondrous plan was done.

 

Yes, “Salvation’s wondrous plan was done”. Jesus had completed all the prophecies in the Old Testament, hundreds of years before His birth.

The Prophecy: Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

The Fulfillment: John 1:10-11 says, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 41:9 says, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

The Fulfillment: Mark 14:10 says, “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.”

The Prophecy: Zechariah 11:12 says, “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 26:14-16 says, “Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.”

The Prophecy: Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

The Fulfillment: Mark 15:5 says, “But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:1-2 says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 27:46 says, “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ – which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:7-8 says, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: ‘He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.'”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 27:41-44 says, “In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, I am the Son of God.’ In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:15 says, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.”

The Fulfillment: Matthew 27:48 says, “Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.”

The Prophecy: Psalm 22:17-18 says, “I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

The Fulfillment: John 19:23 says, “When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.”

When He said, “It is finished!” It was like an artist signing his portrait, it was finished and accomplished, but it was and is far from over.

Seven

Luke 23:44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.'” Having said this, He breathed His last. NKJV

I got this from an email Rethinking Jesus’ Words from The Hebrew Original

By Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg – February 1, 2018

“It makes perfect sense that Jesus would quote this particular psalm while hanging on a Roman cross.

We read these fitting words in Psalm 31:1-5

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

Turn your ear to me,

come quickly to my rescue;

Be my rock of refuge,

a strong fortress to save me.

Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,

for you are my refuge.

Into your hands I commit my spirit; (בְּיָדְךָ, אַפְקִיד רוּחִי)

deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

The Hebrew word translated, “I commit,” is “אַפְקִיד” (pronounced afkid). This word has a meaning that is much closer to “I deposit” – which necessarily signifies a future “reclaiming” of the thing deposited. A vivid image might be that of checking in a coat at theater or restaurant, or even money into the bank, with the definite intention of getting it back. While the English word “commit” can also be used to describe giving something with the purpose of claiming it back at some point in the future, it might just as well mean the giving of something without stating any clear intentions for the future. In Hebrew, on the other hand, the unequivocal meaning of this verse is the temporary submission of one’s spirit into the hands of God – giving it into “His custody,” with the definite intention of receiving it back.

This shows that if we take the time to compare the original verse Jesus was reciting from Hebrew, a simple, but significant insight into the words of Jesus on the cross will emerge. The words Jesus uttered were nothing less than a declaration of his great Israelite faith.  He was confident that as he deposited his soul into the hands of his Heavenly Father, he will surely get it back at his resurrection. What happened three days later proved that Jesus did not hope in vain”.

I think maybe, just maybe; God had His mighty hands out the whole time and then Jesus said “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.'” And then just maybe God said something like this “I’m right here I haven’t gone anywhere, I’m not going to leave you, I love you”, and into The Fathers hands he accepted His Spirit and then

“Having said this, He breathed His last”.

But thank God it was not over;

Luke 24:2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them,

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen!

 Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'” NKJV    

Are You Really Living?

 

Jesus as an example of how to live the abundant Christian life.

 

John 17:1-26 (NKJV)

He prayed for Himself:

¹ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴ I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
⁶ “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷ Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. ⁸ For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

 

He prayed for His disciples:

 

⁹ I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰ And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. ¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Then He prayed for Us.

 

²⁰  “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

 

INTRODUCTION: I would like to begin today by asking you a question. Are you living or existing?

You see there is a difference.

The vast majority of people on earth today are existing.

They are waking up in the morning, going to work or school, keeping house, whatever the case may be.

They are going about their business but they have no real sense of purpose in their lives.

Their happiness and fulfilment in life depends largely on their circumstances or their achievements.

If they were completely honest with themselves, they would have to admit that inside they are empty.

That is existing.

Christ came however that we might have life and have it more abundant. If we are going to experience this kind of real life, we must look to Jesus the source of life.

 

In John 17 Jesus is at the end of his life. He is facing the cross. He uttered these words on his way to Gethsemane. This chapter is known as the High Priestly prayer of Jesus. In this first verse Jesus begins to look to God as he faces his hour of darkness. In this text we see how Jesus lived.

 

READ v1

John 17 ¹ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,  

 

I asked the question, “are you living or just existing?” The answer to that question can be determined by three questions based on our text.

 

1. ARE YOU LIVING WITH A DEPENDENCE ON THE FATHER

As Jesus entered his hour of trial the bible says, “He lifted up his eyes to Heaven and said, “Father”. Jesus didn’t look at his outward circumstances and try to figure a way out. He didn’t even look inward for answers, even though he was the Son of God. He looked upward to Heaven, to the one He knew as His Father.

 

Jesus lived with complete dependence, not on his own person, or his own humanity, but complete trust and dependence on the Father.

 

One of the most eye-opening verses I have ever read is John 5:30

 

John 5:30 (NKJV) I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

 

There Jesus says, “I can of myself do nothing”.

Every person Jesus ever healed when he was on the earth,

every sermon he ever preached,

every temptation he ever overcame,

he did it not by trusting in who he was as the Son of God,

but by depending on the Fathers strength and guidance.

 

If Jesus who is God’s Son could “Of himself do nothing” how much more can we of ourselves do nothing”.

 

The problem with many Christians today and churches is that we are depending primarily on our own natural abilities, our reasoning abilities, our talents, our education, our financial resources to accomplish God’s work.

 

And we of ourselves are doing nothing.

We are existing by and large completely in the natural. But when we live with this dependence upon God that Jesus lived with, the natural begins to give way to the supernatural and God begins to work.

 

John 17 ¹ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,  

 

I read all of the texts where the bible says Jesus “lifted up his eyes”.

One time he lifted up his eyes to God and he stuck his fingers in a deaf man’s ears and the man received his hearing.

 

On another occasion he lifted up his eyes in dependence upon God and thanked God and called Lazarus forth from the grave.

On another occasion he lifted up his eyes to God and took two small fishes and five loaves and fed thousands of people.

The life that is lived in dependence upon God experiences the supernatural power of God.

 

Can you say this about your life.

I’m not asking if you have healed anyone lately or turned water into wine.

I am asking if you can look at your life and say God gave me victory over this temptation,

Only God could have done it,

God had his hand upon me and touched the lives of others and I know it was God that did it.

Can we say this about our church.

We forfeit God’s power when we substitute dependence upon Him with dependence upon ourselves, other people, or other resources.

 

One of the Popes invited a theologian to the Vatican. Sitting amongst all the treasures of the church the Pope said, “the church can no longer say silver and gold have I none”. To that the theologian replied sadly, “yes but neither can she say in the name of Jesus of Nazareth rise and walk.”

We must take our eyes off of the natural, off of that which can be seen, and lift our eyes in faith to Heaven.

Jesus lived with a dependence upon the Father. The second question we might ask to ascertain whether or not we are Living is:

II. DO YOU LIVE WITH A SENSE OF DIVINE DESTINY

 

John 17 ¹ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,  

Jesus said, “the hour is come”.

This is an interesting phrase that Jesus uses in this gospel. At the beginning of his ministry at a wedding feast his mother wanted him to show himself as the Messiah and he said, “my hour has not yet come”.

 

On another occasion his brothers urged him to go to the feast of tabernacles if he was really who he thought he was and show himself as messiah.

 

He said then, “my time is not yet come.”

What was Jesus’ time, his hour?

It was his hour to be glorified and to glorify God.

 

What Mary and Jesus’ brothers did not know was that Jesus would be glorified and would glorify God through a bloody cross and the resurrection.

 

But Jesus knew.

He knew that he had come for the purpose of dying for the sins of the world. He had a sense of purpose of destiny, and everything that he did and said led to that moment, that hour.

And now the hour had come. Jesus’ life was one of direction, and purpose, and divine destiny.

One of the most miserable ways to live is to live aimlessly without real ultimate purpose, not really knowing ultimately why we are here.

 

One of the greatest things that happened to me when God really began to move in my life in my early twenties was that all of a sudden, I began to have purpose in my life.

Before life was just about getting a good job, trying to achieve, to feel good about myself, just existing, drifting.

God wants all of us to live with a sense of divine destiny.

Why are you here?

Why are you a member of your Church?

Because your family belongs here, great.

But God has a greater purpose for you in the body of Christ.

He wants to use you.

He has a niche for you in His body. He has given you a gift, a divine ability to carry out the purpose that He has for your life.

I have talked to many who do not believe they have a spiritual gift, but that’s not what the bible says. “Each one has been given a manifestation of the Spirit”.

 

Romans 12:1-21 (NKJV)
¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
³ For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ⁴ For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷ or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; ⁸ he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy (dissimulation KJV). Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

dissimulation = hide something by pretense: to disguise or hide true feelings, thoughts, or intentions
¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; ¹³ distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. ¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
²⁰ Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

²¹  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

I believe that if a person will honestly ask God to show him or her what His purpose is for him or her in the body of Christ, and how He’s gifted them,

 

He will be faithful to reveal that to them. It may require you to step out in faith and try something you’ve never done before. It may stretch you, it may cause you to risk failure. But God will be faithful. He will show you. The truth is, He is more interested in revealing your purpose in His body than you and I are in knowing it.

I’ll never forget my first preaching experience….  I was told “Do you have butterflies they will turn to crocodiles.” And they did.

I dreaded it for weeks.

It was terrifying.

When I got up and began to preach, and I knew.

I felt I was born for it.

I wanted to stay there, to live in that experience.

God confirmed to me what his plan was for my life and he will for you as well if you do not already know.

Jesus lived with a sense of divine destiny. Do you? The third and final question we might ask to determine whether or not we are really living is:

III. ARE YOU LIVING WITH A DESIRE TO GLORIFY GOD

John 17 ¹ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,  

As he faced the cross Jesus prayed, “glorify Your Son that Your Son also may glorify You.” Jesus’ overarching desire in life and in death was to glorify the Father.

 

The word glory has two primary meanings that are inter related.

First it refers to a manifestation of God’s presence.

Second, it means to give praise or honor.

Jesus experienced both. In his life he revealed the presence of God.

He was the image of the unseen God.

When people saw Him, they saw the Father.

But his desire was that through the glory the Father gave to Him,

He might use it to bring praise and honor to the Father. Even in death he sought the glory of the Father, or shall I say especially through death.

Look at what is going on around the world…  The clerk in jail… ISIS killing Christians.

The desire to glorify God can be costly but it is very liberating. The opposite of the desire to glorify God is selfishness.

The selfish life is a miserable life.

Things won’t always go our way, circumstances of life will assuredly change, people don’t always treat us as we think we should be treated and this make us miserable if we are primarily living for self.

But when we can honestly say, “Lord no matter what happens to me, whether I live or die, whether I am treated fairly or unfairly, whether I endure affliction or comfort, Lord you be glorified in it”, when this is our desire, we are free of the misery of selfishness.

Job 13:15-16 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
¹⁶ He also shall be my salvation, For a hypocrite could not come before Him.

This is what Jesus means when he says, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Conclusion.

Are you living or existing?

Are you living with a dependence on the Father?

Are you Living with a Sense of destiny?

Are you living with a desire to glorify the Lord?

Wait Training Part 2

Psalm 27:1-14 (NKJV)
¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
² When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
³ Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, In this I will be confident.
⁴ One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.
⁵ For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
⁹ Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me.
¹¹ Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
¹² Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.
¹³ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

 

 

1. We saw His Desperate Condition, in part 1 and now we see:
2. His Determined Choice
   Notice David’s conclusion ¹⁴Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

It’s like David is saying, “Try this…it worked for me when I was in a desperate situation and it will work for you.”

Notice the process by which David came to this conclusion: we will approach the verse in reverse order.

A. Seeing
¹³ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

1. Seeing is believing…. believing is seeing.
   2. David’s faith helped him to see past his present situation and look to his powerful Savior.

Michael Youssef:

Faith is not believing in spite of the evidence

Faith is obeying in spite of the consequence.

3. To wait upon God means to expect from God. A real “waiting meeting” according to Scripture is an expectation meeting. It implies dependence.
   4. “I would have quit if not for my faith…I believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
   5. “Heaven is a long way off…. I need some help from God now.”
   6. Psalms 62:5 – My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

expectation = literally, a cord (as an attachment – expectation = hope,  thing that I long for.

1. Seeing
   B. Supplication
   ⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
   ⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
   
   What to do when waiting? You pray, He Prayed for three things:
   1.) Presence of God
   ⁹Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
   ¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me.
   
   2.) Path Of God
   ¹¹ Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
   
   3.) Protection Of God
   ¹²Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.
   
   Proverbs 20:22 (NKJV) Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

Psalm 37:34 (NKJV) Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

He prayed for the Presence of God, The Path of God, and the Protection of God.

Lamentations 3:24-26 (NKJV) “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”
²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.

1. Seeing
   B. Supplication
   C. Singing
   ⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

Acts 16:25-26 (NKJV) But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

Praise + Prayer = POWER

1. Our attitude is important as we wait on God.
   2. As we see His promised help and we seek His powerful hand…it should inspire us to sing praises to His holiness!

   D. Silence
   ⁵For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

2. It is as if in some great trial or pressure he had found great comfort in prayer and had encouraged his heart in the hope of God’s help; then in quiet faith casts himself upon God.
   2. Prayer has been made and now the soul is hushed and, bowing in silence (in faith) it waits before God.
   3. Prayers are needed. They are the winged messengers to carry the need to God. But it is in the silent hour before Him, quietly waiting in His presence that the miracle is wrought.
   4. When you are hiding, you do not make any noise…you are completely silent.
   5. We do the praying but not the waiting. Let us not be afraid to be silent before Him thinking it is wasted time. He does not want us to be all the time talking–telling Him so many things about which He already knows more than we do. Time is needed today for proper adjustment to Him, our vision properly focused, our hearts hushed, and minds subdued.

Lamentations 3:26 (NKJV) It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

1. Seeing
   B. Supplication
   C. Singing
   D. Silence
   E. Serving

⁴ One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.

1. Another meaning of wait, is to serve, or minister…
2. As we wait on God, He puts a desire in our hearts to serve Him.
3. David’s desire was to just be in the house of God and serve the Lord.

F. Success
1. His Triumph
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

2. His Testimony
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

“Wait”
Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said,
“Child, you must wait.”
“Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your hand shortened?
Or have You not heard?
By Faith, I have asked, and am claiming Your Word.
My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and
YOU tell me to WAIT?
I’m needing a ’yes’,
A go-ahead sign,
Or even a ’no’ to which I can resign.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
“I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!”
Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate. As my Master replied once again,
“You must wait.”
So, I slumped in my chair,
Defeated and taut and grumbled to God,
“So, I’m waiting… for what?”
He seemed, then, to kneel,
And His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said,
“I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens,
And darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, And
Cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want –
But you would never know Me.
You would not know the depth of My love for a Saint;
You’d not know the power that I give to the Faint;
You’d not learn to see through the clouds of Despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m There;
You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could See.
You’d never experience that fullness of Love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a Dove;
You’d know that I give and I save… for a Start
But You’d not know the depth of the beat of My Heart.
The glow of My comfort late into the Night,
The faith that I give when you walk without Sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you Asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.
You’d never know should your pain quickly Flee,
What it means that ’My Grace is sufficient for Thee.’
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come True,
But, Oh the loss! If I lost what I’m doing in You!
So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will See
The greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft’ may My answers seem terribly Late,
My most precious answer of all is still, ’Wait’.”

Such wonderful blessings hang upon this one condition–to wait. Do we wait?
Are we willing to trust God to work out our troubles or will we continue to trust ourselves and make a mess?

Tony Evans “storms in the night thru the valley of death when we get in his presence the circumstances do not change but we do.

Perhaps today you find yourself Waiting for God …ready to throw in the towel…do not give up now!

Job 42:1-6 (NKJV) Then Job answered the LORD and said:
² “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
⁴ Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’
⁵ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.
⁶ Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

When you wait on The Lord, you will see Him as never before and it is well worth it. God Bless and have a great week in the Lord’s presences.

Wait Training Part 1

Psalms 27 A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

PRAY God lead you through this sermon.

Title Of Message – Waiting for God

How are you with patience? Is patience difficult for you? We must learn the art of patience if we truly want to enjoy life. It seems that there is always something we are waiting for:
Is your prayer Lord I need patience and I need them now?

We wait on traffic and we wait in lines at stores, restaurants, and even to go to the restroom.

We wait to hear about a job.
We wait while an automated voice goes through 1,000 options on the phone.
We wait to complete school then we wait to retire.
We wait to grow up.
We wait for a decision to be made.
Wait…wait…wait!
We cannot escape the web of waiting!

Because of this, Patience is an essential quality of a happy life.

Patience is a virtue,
Possess it if you can.
Found seldom in a woman,
Never in a man.

Every day presents plenty of opportunities for this.

Many of can relate with the great New England preacher Phillips Brooks. He was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the floor like a caged lion. “What’s the trouble, Mr. Brooks?” he asked. “The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!”

The Bible speaks often about the importance of waiting on God:

Psalms 25:5 – Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Psalms 37:7 – Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
9 – For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Psalms 40:1 – I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Psalms 62:1 – Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

Psalms 123:2 – Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

Psalms 130:5 – I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
or Ps 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

Micah 7:7 – Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 – And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

What does it mean to wait on God?
G. Campbell Morgan
“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means

First, be active under command;

Second, be ready for any new command that may come;

Third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.

The Hebrew word translated “waiting” . . . has likeness with a word that means “to entrench.” God works for him that entrenches himself in Him. The idea of waiting for God here is that of digging ourselves in to God.

Waiting for God, then, means power to do nothing save under command. This is not lack of power to do anything.

Waiting for God needs strength rather than weakness. It is the power to do nothing. It is the strength that holds strength in check. It is the strength that prevents the blundering activity which is entirely false and will make the true activity impossible when the definite command comes.

Waiting is far more difficult than working. . .. Waiting requires strength. It demands absolute surrender of the life to God, the confession that we are at the end of our own understanding of things, the confession that we really do not see our way and do not know the way. The waiting that says: “Until God shall speak, we dare not move and will not move, we will not be seduced from our resolution to wait”; requires strength” (The Westminster Pulpit, vol. ix, pp. 318-323).

There are times when the only hope we have, the only solution to our situation, the only cure for our condition…is to wait on God.

In Psalm 27, David was facing a situation that we can identify with:

I. His Desperation Condition

1. 
   Fear

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

1. Foes

2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

1. Fight

3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

1. Failure

9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

1. Forsaken

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

[When my father and my mother forsake me] Or, more literally, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me; but the Lord hath gathered me up.” My parents were my protectors for a time; but the Lord has been my Protector always. There is no time in which I do not fall under his merciful regards.

1. False Statements

12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

 

1. Faint 13 I had fainted…

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

We find here a man at the end of his rope…he is give out and almost ready to give up.

 

Why We Suffer.

Part 2

 

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (NKJV)
¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰ who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ¹¹ you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

 

We Saw Last week ;

First,   That we Might Be Prepared to Comfort Others

and now in Part 2 we see;

And now so,  That we Might Not Trust in Ourselves

Did you miss this truth, wedged in verse nine?

⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,

 

Paul puts his finger on another reason for our season of sorrow: that we might come to a complete end of ourselves and learn the power of total depen­dence.

 

When Paul’s own strength had ebbed away, he found another strength. When his own will to go on faded like the last morning star, the sun of a new hope blazed on his horizon.

 

When he finally hit bottom, Paul learned that he was in the palm of God’s

hand. He could sink no lower than the Everlasting Arms.

 

Let me remind you of God’s dealings with His friend, Abraham, in

Genesis 22. The very first verse of that chapter tells us that God tested Abraham. In fact,

He told Abraham to take his beloved son Isaac to a mountain called Moriah and offer him up as a burnt offering. Though the old man’s heart hemorrhaged within him, he did not argue-he obeyed. What a test Clinging only to his hope in God, Abraham cooperated.

 

On that stark mountain a few days later, the aged patriarch, raised a sharpened knife-poised to plunge into the heart of the son he loved. (Think of it!) But God stepped in and stayed his hand.

 

You ask, “How could Abraham actually carry out such a plan in an obedient manner?” The answer is tucked away in Hebrews 11: 17-19, which says:

 

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son: it was he to whom it was said, IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDENTS SHALL BE CALLED.

 

He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead. . .”

 

Abraham was determined to shift the weight of his trust from himself to God, who “is able to raise men even from the dead.” And this, the Bible calls “faith.”

 

Perhaps I am writing to a stubborn, suffering saint who is wrestling with God over an affliction. You have not yet laid down your arms, rested your case, and decided to trust in Him completely.

 

Can’t you see, my friend, that God is trying to teach you the all-important lesson of submission to Him-total dependence on His infinite wisdom and unbounded love? He will not let up until you give up, believe me. Who knows better than God that case-hardened independence within you? How much longer are you going to fight God? In

 

Psalm 46: 10, He says to us:

“Cease striving and know that I am God. . .”

     Cease striving-be still!

Surrender to your Lord, , , now. He does not design your ruin­  only your refinement,

 

“For I know the plans that I have for you,, declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

 

The great hymn, HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION says it best:’

When through fiery trials

thy pathway shall lie,

My grace all-sufficient shall he thy supply

The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design

Thy dross to consume

And thy gold to refine.

 

Years ago, I came across a statement which has returned to my thoughts again and again and that is;

“Pain plants the flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel heart.”

 

Pain reduces us to a primary level, the level of dependence on our God. While we stretch out full length on Him, everything within us that is useless and abrasive is simply melted away. Those who were hard and harsh are humbled in Him. Those once proud and self-sufficient are drawn to their knees.

 

Suffering reveals our creature status. We are not all-wise or infinite in strength. But God is. And we need Him- we were created to need Him. Desperately. Sometimes it takes coming to the end of ourselves to see that. God knows. We need to take every tiling we were, everything we are and everything we’ve ever hoped to be and simply place it all in the nail-scarred hands of our loving Lord. And lean hard upon His Word.

 

What was desired of the Corinthians upon this account: That they would help together by prayer for them (v. 11),

¹¹ you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

 

by social prayer, agreeing and joining together in prayer on their behalf. Note, our trusting in God must not supersede the use of any proper and appointed means; and prayer is one of those means.

 

We should pray for ourselves and for one another.

 

The apostle had himself a great interest in the throne of grace, yet he desires the help of others’ prayers. If we thus help one another by our prayers, we may hope for an occasion of giving thanks by many for answer of prayer. And it is our duty not only to help one another with prayer, but in praise and thanksgiving, and thereby to make suitable returns for benefits received.

 

The apostle in these verses attests their integrity by the sincerity of their conversation. This he does not in a way of boasting and vain-glory, but as one good reason for desiring the help of prayer, as well as for the more comfortably trusting in God (Heb 13:18),

 

Heb 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

 

and for the necessary vindication of himself from the aspersions of some persons at Corinth, who reproached his person and questioned his apostleship.

 

¹¹ you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

 

 1   That we Might Be Prepared to Comfort Others

2    That we Might Not Trust in Ourselves

 and now that brings us to the next point;

3  That we Might Learn to Give Thanks In Everything

You’ll never be able to understand this third reason, until you’ve grappled with the first two.

 

Notice how Paul phrases this to his Corinthian friends in verse 11.

“. . .You also joining in helping us through your prayers, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed upon us through the prayers of many.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

He wrote them a thank-you note. Looking upon his suffering as an opportunity to share his life with others, Paul felt drawn to the Corinthians with cords tied to the innermost being. As they mutually joined in and helped him through their prayers, thanks were rendered to God by many persons.

Because of Paul’s encounter with affliction, many were led to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and give thanks. One man offered praise in his moment of sorrow, and God so multiplied his song it became a great chorus, echoing in musical voice from heart after heart.

 

God is interested in using us as living object lessons to others. That is precisely why He urges us to present ourselves as living sacrifices. What might happen in your life if you stopped fighting God and started to praise Him for your pain?

 

Try telling Him that you want to be His living object lesson of patience and stability to others. Tell Him how grateful you are for the crushing blows He has chosen to bring into your life.

 

In your own way and in your own words, express how very thank­ful you are that He has selected you from the ranks of millions to share in “the fellowship of His sufferings,” and, like Christ, “to “learn obedience from the things which you suffer” You will be a rare, refined believer if you respond to suffering in this manner, child of God.

 

Job responded in a similar manner when he said:

“Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hands?

Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” Job 13:14-15).

If Job could lift his face and say that to God, so can you.

“Lord-even though this is the most difficult experience of my life, my hope is in You. Thank You for this canyon of pain. I’m leaning on You as I go through it.”

A whole new dimension is opened up to the one who learns to give God thanks for His plan. , . pain notwithstanding.

Then:

He appeals to the testimony of conscience with rejoicing (v. 12),

2 Corinthians 1:12 (NKJV)
¹²  For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

 

GIVE GOD THE GOLRY IN ALL THINGS.

 

Why We Suffer.

Part 1

 

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (NKJV)
¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰ who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ¹¹ you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

 

2 CORINTHIANS,

The second letter followed some 12-15 months later from Macedonia, where Paul met Titus and received news of the church’s repentance (2 Cor 2:12-17).

 

Why Do we Suffer?

There may be dozens of reasons why we suffer, but Paul highlights three.

With your Bible open to 2 Corinthians 1: 1-11, take a pencil and circle the little four-letter word “that” in verses 4, 9, and 11. Each of the three reasons is introduced with “that.”

Let’s begin by looking at verses 1 through 4.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

If you were to read down through verse 7, your attention would be called to a term that appears no less than ten times-“comfort.”

 ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

This is from the Greek terms PARA, meaning “beside, alongside,” and KALEO, “to call,”    Called alongside,

This is no shallow sympathy card with rhyming words and gold-glitter greeting, it is eternally more than a “slap on the back” or a quick “cheer up” bit of advice, Our mighty God is called alongside as we suffer!

 

As He comes alongside, He brings genuine comfort, personal assistance, deep involvement, and infinite understanding,

 

Notice that God admits He is the God of all comfort. Regardless of the need, God comforts, no matter the cause, God gets personally involved in your life, suffering friend, He is the God of all comfort! That’s His specialty.

 

Then observe that He comforts those who are in any affliction. That draws the circle around your situation, regardless of the particulars, any affliction is His concern,

 

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

“Casting all your anxiety (cares) upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

He genuinely cares-deeply cares. But why are we afflicted?

 

Who is our comforter?

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

 

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Why do we suffer?

1   That we Might Be Prepared to Comfort Others

⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Who can understand what it is like to sit alongside a friend or loved one dying with a terminal illness?

 

Who knows the heartache of having a home split apart?

What about someone to understand the loss of a child. . . or the misery of a teen-ager on drugs. . . or the anguish of living with an alcoholic mate. . .

or a failure in school. . . or the loss of a business?

Who on earth understands?

 

I will tell you who-the person who has been through it wrapped in the blanket of God’s comfort. Better than anybody else. You who have endured the stinging experiences are the choicest counselors God can use.

 

This is one of the reasons we suffer-to be prepared to bring encouragement and comfort to others who come across our path enduring a similar situation. Remember that!

 

Consider the chain reaction. We suffer. . . God comes alongside to comfort. . . others suffer. . . we step alongside to comfort them. With God’s arm firmly around my shoulders, I have the strength and stability to place my arm around the shoulder of another. Isn’t this true? Similar experiences create mutual understanding.

 

Because of this we can confidently say that our troubling circum-stances are never in vain. The bruises may hurt, but they are not without reason. God is uniquely preparing us for the comfort others will need. In one sense, we are all “preparing for the ministry.” Our Father is preparing us to meet the deep inner needs of others by bringing us through the dark places first.

Notice verses 8-10.

⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

 

1. What they did in their distress: They trusted in God. And they were brought to this limit in order that they should not trust in themselves but in God, v. 9.

 

⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,

(Note, God often brings his people into great straits, that they may apprehend their own insufficiency to help themselves, and may be induced to place their trust and hope in his all-sufficiency.) Our limit is God’s opportunity.

 

In the mount will the Lord be seen; and we may safely trust in God, who raised the dead, v. 9. God’s raising the dead is a proof of his almighty power. He that can do this can do anything, can do all things, and is worthy to be trusted in at all times.

 

Abraham’s faith fastened upon this instance of the divine power: He believed God who quickened the dead, Rom 4:17.

 

Rom 4:17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickened the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

 

If we should be brought so low as to despair even of life, yet we may then trust in God, who can bring back not only from the gates, but from the jaws, of death.

 

2. What the deliverance was that they had obtained; and this was seasonable and continued. Their hope and trust were not in vain, nor shall any who trust in him be ashamed. God had delivered them, and did still deliver them, v. 10.

 

¹⁰ who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ¹¹ you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

 

Having obtained help of God, they continued to that day, Acts 26:22.

 

Acts 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

 

3. What use they made of this deliverance: We trust that he will yet deliver us (v. 10), that God will deliver to the end, and preserve to his heavenly kingdom. Note, Past experiences are great encouragements to faith and hope, and they lay great obligations to trust in God for time to come. We reproach our experiences if we distrust God in future straits, who hath delivered as in former troubles. David, even when a young man, and when he had but a small stock of experiences, argued after the manner of the apostle here,

 

1 Sam 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

 

We wish we knew more about Paul’s experience in Asia. All we know is that the battered apostle was pushed to the very edge of his endurance. And then a little bit farther. No walls left to lean on, no water left in the well, no fine phrases left to repeat in the face of crisis-the face of death. Paul said, “This is it. End of the rope, end of the line.”

Perhaps these words are your words. Maybe you are standing with Paul at the desperate point beyond your own strength. Hope has quietly slipped out the back door. The despair is beyond repair. Burdens push heavily on bruised inner tissue. The end has come!

Unbelievable as it may seem, God has a reason even in this. All this so, we can help others. How else would you be able to tell others that God can bring you through something if He has never done it for you. It builds FAITH

It’s Over Now, Or Is It?

Luke15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

 

The week of this writing was June 10, 2019, as I sat at the computer and began working on a thought that I had, it occurred to me that thirty years ago this week I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It’s raining now here in Georgia and thirty years ago it was raining here then too.

 

As I recall about a year or maybe two years earlier, I saw my friend and then Sunday School teacher Snyder Turner. I hadn’t been in Sunday School in a while, and he asked if I would come back that I was surely missed. That made me feel good that I was missed. And I told him I would try if he would be kind enough to make me a tape of him singing. I love to hear people sing that know and believe what they are singing, and it also helps that they can sing. I believe that he knew and believed about who he was singing about, and it also helped that he could sing too. He was kind enough to make me the tape, and he sent word to me that I had to come and get it. The place I had to pick it up was at the Church, and the time was during the Sunday School hour.

 

I sent word back to him that I will see him Sunday and if there was no tape there would be no DeWayne because, I would leave. I was somewhat a smart-aleck back then, but I’m doing much better now. So sure, enough I was there at 10:00am Sunday morning and sitting in his class waiting on him. As he walked in, he threw me the tape. I sat and listened to him teach and then went on in the sanctuary and listened to his Dad, Reverend Ben Turner preach and then I didn’t return until I felt as if I had to.

The next day as I was on my way to work, I put the tape in the tape player in my truck and began to listen. Song after song played, some were convicting, some were pick me up songs, and some were just old fashion Church Hymns.

 

As the tape played on, this song came on, and I had heard it before but not quite like this, it was titled “It’s Over Now” and this is what Snyder sang:

“It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home. It’s over now it won’t be long The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last. My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now. When I look back to yesterday, and upon the many years I wasted. And I think about the many nights of hunger that I spent out in the cold. I remember warming by the fire, at Father’s house, the food and how it tasted.    And knowing that the life I’m leading, is needing love and love’s at home.

It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home. It’s over now it won’t be long, The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last. My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now”.

And then with the music still playing he said this in the middle of the song:

“That reminds me of a young boy that I knew one time that, as a teenager he stayed up all nights lots of nights, building God’s house because he loved the building, he loved the people, I never before seen a boy that age that dedicated to God. Then I looked around one day and all of a sudden, he was gone, nobody knew where he was, but all of his friends that knew him, and stayed around with him up all night, were praying that one of these days, one of these days, he’ll look around, and he’ll say, you know, I believe it was worth it, it’s all over for me now, I’m going back home”.

Then back to the song he went without missing a beat.

“I can hear my father saying, go kill the fated calf and spread the table. Then go and tell the singers to prepare to sing the welcome Song. Then bring the finest ring of gold, and with it, bring the finest robe of sable. To place upon the cold and weary shoulders of my child, that’s coming home.

It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home. It’s over now it can’t be long The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last. My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now. My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now”.

 

That young boy was me, and if you paid close attention, he never said that I Loved God but that “he loved the building, he loved the people,” because I did, and still do love the building and the people of that time in our Church, but at that particular time I did not love God or even know Him or His dear Son Jesus.

 

The song brought tears to my eyes, and brought back some great memories of when we were building the Church and the lifelong friendship that I received from the men that were there that took me under their wings and showed Godly love for a young man that could have ended up running with the wrong people. If it were not for spending most of my free time working on that Church I don’t know where I would have ended up. I never drank, I never did any drugs, I didn’t run around trying to get in any trouble, I was way too busy building a house of worship.

I was working my way to heaven, at least I thought I was. It’s really difficult to win good people to the Lord, what did I need saving from, I was a pretty good guy, at least in my eyes I was. Could I be wrong, was I sure because I repeated words that the pastor’s wife told me to say when I was 6 years old, that I was covered, I hope so? And if you are not sure, that is not the right answer.

So, a few more months went past, and I was out of church again. I thought I was good to go, and again, I was wrong.

As I have stated I was raised in Church and I sat under the word of God my whole life, I didn’t know the author, but I knew the words that were written and I could use them to my advantage when I needed to. I used the Word of God as a weapon to attack people, just when I thought that they needed it, for my own good. Not a weapon as a sword against Satan, but as a club to beat people over the head, and in most cases I could hold my own in a battle of the Word and I would whip out the Bible verse to put people to shame when I needed it.

And time went on.

Edger C. Whisenant released a book that was predicting that Jesus would return for the Rapture is September 11,12, or 13 of 1988 titled “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988” over 4.5 million copies were sold, and the Churches were filled on Sunday, September 11, 1988. It didn’t hurt that the day he predicted was on a Sunday.

And there, about ten rows back in the end seat against the wall I sat, as I have said I heard the word preached enough for anyone for a lifetime I thought. And I thought wrong, but there I was to prove the guy wrong. Because does the Bible not say:

Matt 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. NKJV

So, I just sat there and heard Reverend Ben Turner preach one of the best soul winning sermons that ever was preached, and then it was time for the invitation. As the song leader took the pulpit and the Church began to sing, I took a good hold of the pew in front of me and refused to let go. Ben told me latter that he could see my knuckles turning white from the grip I had on that pew. I think, no I know that was the day that I knew that I needed Jesus in my heart, and in my life and so did Brother Ben the pastor. But I was a good man.

At the age of six I had said what the preacher’s wife said to say, I was put in the baptistery and dunked under the Holy water. I had to be ready to go to heaven, I had done everything you are supposed to do right? And then again, I was wrong.

I never, not ever asked Jesus into my heart. I love what Andy Stanley says quite often,

“Following Jesus will make your life better and will make you better at life.”

I saw Snyder again in May 1989. He was being ordained and afterward he saw me, and said that he missed me and that he was praying for me. And then he said that one of these days God was going break me or do something to get my attention, and that when he did, he wanted to be there. He was somewhat a smart-aleck back then, but he too is doing much better now. And again, a little time went on.

That brings me back to the rainy week of June 12, 1989, my wife had gone to visit her mother in Spruce Pine Alabama. She left on the 7th and was going to return on the 14th. The night before she left, we had a big falling out, we didn’t have many but when we did, they were big. She started the falling out trying to justify her actions. She was setting me up to be the bad guy, and it worked, by saying what she was going to do.

Remember that I told you that I could beat up a person with the Bible, well that is what I did that night. I told her that she needed to submit to me and to do what I say and to do my will because that is what Paul taught. She said she didn’t know any woman that did that, and she was not going to do it either. She then told me that she didn’t love me anymore and if that wasn’t bad enough, she then added that she didn’t think she ever really loved me. She then said that she may not come back.

With that said, I picked up my Colt 357 magnum and was headed out the door. She asked where I was going and I said boldly and proudly “To Hell” and kept walking, she asked and then pleaded with me not to go, she promised that we would work it all out when she got back next Wednesday.

I sometime later learned that “You cannot develop in your family what you do not possess yourself as in individual.” I could not lead because I didn’t have what I needed to lead. What was missing was Jesus.

Next Wednesday arrived, and she didn’t. I took off early, grilled 2 T-bone steaks, just the way she liked them, fixed a salad and some baked beans and baked potatoes, and had an apple pie cooking in the oven and Breyers vanilla bean ice-cream in the freezer. I sat the table, and even put some candles on the table and waited. She should be home any moment I thought, and again, I was wrong.

I waited past the time she was going to arrive and then started making calls. I finally got a hold of her mother and was told that she came home that morning and got some more of her belongings and was coming back to Alabama. So, I put everything in the refrigerator, and made some calls and told my boss I would be late the next day and then made a call to my parents and told them that I was going to Alabama and was going to try to get my wife back.

My Dad tried to talk me out of going and said that there were tornado warnings in Alabama and headed to us here in Georgia, I didn’t care, I was going. As I pulled out of my road there stood my Dad in the road again trying to get me to stay home, I should have listened because when I got there, she made it clear that she was not coming home anytime soon she needed some time to think, it’s been over 30 years, I sometimes wonder how much more time she might need. I guess I still am a somewhat a smart-aleck, but I am doing some better now.

In 1989, I was one of the few people at that time that had a phone in their truck, so on my way back home the next morning I called my pastor and asked if I could see him later that evening, he said that he would be at the Church because they were having Vacation Bible School, and he would be there around 7:00.

As I arrived at the Church, I saw Snyder in the parking lot, and he yelled at me and said that this was Church, and ask what was I doing there? He was just joking with me. As he got closer, I said, remember when you said that one of these days God was going break me, or do something to get my attention, and that when He did, you wanted to be there? Well, here is that day, as a tear ran down my face. He said he was playing and I said I know and told him what had happened and asked if he would come and pray with his Dad for her to come home. He said of course, and we went into the pastor’s study, and we meet up with Ben.

I needed someone to pray for her because I knew deep down that I couldn’t, but Ben could, but Ben wouldn’t. He would not pray for my wife that night, and I couldn’t understand why. The only reason that I was there was for his prayers. He said we were just treating the symptoms, and not getting a cure. The cure was for me to accept Christ that night and not to fix my marriage. I learned what it meant that night that “pain plants a flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel’s heart.”

He asked every way but coming out and saying bluntly are you saved for a while, he asked do you know Jesus as your savior? And then he finely asked if I were to die where would I spend eternity? I remembered the week before and how I stated I was going to hell. I just sat there, and then he finally said, ARE YOU SAVED?

My answer was I don’t want to be not saved. He said that was not the right answer, and then said that I knew what I needed to do, and he was right as Snyder opened his Bible and started the Roman Road, he paused then said that I knew these verses and I knew what I needed to do. And I did know what I needed to do. I personally have led people to the Lord before I had ever accepted Him as my Savior myself.

So, I asked Jesus to forgive me and that night I accept Him as my Lord and Savior. Just like that everything changed that moment. My wife didn’t come home but I did. Circumstances didn’t change but I sure did, the pain was still there but now so was Christ. Everything was for the better I assure you.

After that night as I got back in Church for the right reason, as I ran across different people and it seemed that most had the same reaction and said the same thing when I told them that I had accepted Christ and was saved. They would say I thought you were already. But the ones closest to me would say I’m glad, I have been praying for you for a long time.

The old saying goes you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all the people all the time. I had some of them fooled but not all, and the ones that knew better were praying for me and as we soon will see looking for me to come home.

I just had to make up my mind or come to myself, as it says. Sometimes the one you think that needed to come home don’t quite make it. What I have learned it was never about getting her, my wife home, it was about getting Me Home!

If I had accepted the invitation the year earlier, she may never had left. But if she hadn’t left when she did, would I have ever got in the Word of God like I did, would I ever have stood in a pulpit and tried to bring a sermon, would I have ever got involved in the ministries that I got in, and saw the hundreds of souls saved as a result? Would I be writing this book right now?

Please don’t get me wrong, I do not under any circumstance believe that God made her leave, that goes against His Word. I do believe that he used the mess that I made to get my attention. Did you get that the mess that I made! And I do take full responsibility. But it did work for His good.

Does the book of Romans not say?

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. NKJV

 and

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. NKJV

Understand that God is not a genie in a bottle, or a wishing well. He is God, and we sometimes act as if he is supposed to do what we say, instead of the other way around. We quickly forget and sometimes quickly walk away because He didn’t do what I wanted Him to do. I will just leave, and then we do, but the question is the same as Peter’s question and that is “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

John 6:67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” NKJV

 

I promise you maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, or next month, or even next year. But the time is coming that you will end up neck deep in the pigsty. Then where will you go? All we must do is the same as the lost son did. Understand it is far better in the “Fathers” house.

As I have stated it’s been over 30 years, and she never came home, sometimes the one we love and pray for, never comes to their selves. Sometimes they don’t listen to the Father, but that is no excuse for you not to. Every story in life doesn’t have a happy ending. Just remember for some it’s not over yet. But for me I thank God I can say as the last verse of our song said:

 

The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last. My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now. My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now”.

 

See, it was me the whole time that was dead and now I am alive. I was the very one lost and now I am found. It is definitely a time to be merry. It’s party time.

Luke15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

 

And they began to be merry. As the old saying goes;

If not God’s way? What?

If not you? Who?

If not now? When?

Is it over now?

Only if you allow it to be.

Unanswered Prayers Part 2

 

Sometime it just takes a moment or two to answer…

Daniel 10:10-14 (NKJV)
¹⁰ Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.
¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
¹² Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
¹⁴ Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

 

And then,

God may also delay an answer. His “not yet” is, again, for His children’s good and for His glory. God’s eternal perspective is greater than ours. In His big picture view, He sometimes delays a response until the best possible time. For example, Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless and no doubt prayed for a child, but they were old in years before God gave them a son (Luke 1:5-13).

 

God delayed until it was time for the Messiah, Jesus, to be born, because John the Baptist would be His forerunner. Often, God’s delays are a means of strengthening our spiritual muscles or to teach us to pray continually.

 

Sometimes things will get worse after we’ve prayed before they get better; but remember: God is never late or early. Because He is God, He is not capable of making mistakes. We must remember the character of God and trust Him — He is wise, good, faithful, trustworthy, etc.

In His mysterious ways, He accomplishes “immeasurably more” than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Ephesians 3:20-21 (HCSB)
²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— ²¹ to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

 

Can God, who is sovereign and omniscient, ever be persuaded to change His mind or alter His plans?

Some Scriptures indicate that prayer can and does make a difference in human events. But other Scriptures show that prayers did nothing to change the course of life in certain situations.

God’s answers might seem so random to us. Jesus escaped, but other innocent children were slaughtered (Matthew 2:16).

Matthew 2:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

 

Peter was freed, but James was killed (Acts 12:2, 6-11).

Acts 12:2 (NKJV) Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

Acts 12:6-11 (NKJV)
⁶ And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
⁷ Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.
⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”
⁹ So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
¹⁰ When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
¹¹ And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

 

Again, we simply cannot understand everything this side of eternity about how God responds to specific prayers.

 

What Might Be Some Reasons for Unanswered Prayers?

When our prayers are not answered the way we hoped, does that mean God is ignoring us?

Not necessarily. Sometimes it is a matter of waiting for God’s timing.

Perhaps God has something better for us, or there is an opportunity that He might receive greater glory. Perhaps He is protecting us from unseen danger.

 

Just because Christians’ prayers “aren’t answered,” that does not mean they’re doing something wrong.

Christians are often targeted by Satan. What the enemy means for believers’ harm, God redeems for their good and His glory.

But Stuart Briscoe wrote in Just Between Us magazine,

“We need to learn to search our own hearts as we pray, because problems may lurk in our hearts that hinder our praying.”

What are some possible reasons for unanswered prayers?

 

There may be spiritual issues. Perhaps we are not abiding — living in — close fellowship with God. We don’t have a prayer life or regular time in the Word.

We may not be asking according to God’s will and Word or turning away from God’s instructions. We may be a doubter, not asking in faith — or perhaps, because of weak faith, we’re not even asking God for what we need

(James 4:2b).

James 4:2-3 (NKJV)
² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

 

We may be praying hypocritically to get attention or praying in rebellion. We may be cherishing unconfessed sin. God will not be mocked. He knows us intimately and sees every “hidden” sin. We may be praying with sinful motives or out of pride or selfish desires rather than to the glory of God.

Jennifer Heeren wrote, “Our whims aren’t necessarily God’s will.”

The truth is — our happiness and so-called “successes” aren’t God’s highest priority. His responses are meant to shape us into the image of Christ

(Romans 8:29).

Romans 8:29-30 (NKJV)
²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

 

Again, God is more interested in changing you than your circumstances!!!

 

There may be relationship issues too. God sees when we show hostility against fellow believers or harbor an unforgiving spirit.  He knows when a husband is not treating is wife well. He notices when we close our ears to the cries of the needy.

 

How Should We Respond to Unanswered Prayers?

Should we keep praying about seeming unanswered prayers?

Yes, says Jon Bloom at Desiring God.

The Lord “wants us to seriously press into the question, ‘What’s the problem?’” Bloom said. God wants us to persevere. He knows we struggle to pray. “We’re distractible, we’re lazy, we’re busy,” Bloom said, “we’ve had poor models, we lack a clear plan for how and when to pray, we’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people and things to pray for, our Adversary opposes our praying, and the list goes on.”

 

When Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours, we’re “tempted to respond mockingly, ‘Yeah, whatever,” Bloom said. He continues that Jesus knows this promise presses us “beyond our limits.” “He means it to.” Jesus’s purpose is not to shame us for our little faith. “He’s inviting us to come further up and further in.”

 

Christians are tempted to become discouraged by what appears to be unanswered prayer; but Jesus tells us we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Persistent prayer reminds us that our hope is in God alone, and even though God may seem silent at times, there are always blessings in the prayers themselves — to build character and faith, and to increase hunger for the Lord.

 

Unanswered Prayers Are Invitations to God’s Heart

On one occasion, the disciples asked of Jesus, “Teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV)
¹ Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, ² saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. ³ Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ⁴ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ⁵ yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” ⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

 

They no doubt noticed the relationship Jesus had with His Father in heaven, and craved that kind of connection.

“There is much more to prayer than making requests of God,”

Stuart Briscoe said. “God created mankind for fellowship and communion, to be ‘friends,’ to delight in each other and to have an ever-deepening relationship. …

This relationship, as it deepens, leads to a fuller understanding of God’s purposes, desires, intentions, or what we often call His will.”

 

When our prayers appear to go unanswered, God may be drawing us closer; it’s time to step up our prayers in frequency and intensity. God keeps inviting us to His heart so we can learn about His will and ways.

 

“Prayer is a relational interaction, not merely a service transaction,” Stuart Briscoe said. “Faith is not divine currency that we pay God in order to receive whatever we ask in prayer. Faith is a relational response of trust in what God promises us. … And those who are audacious enough to really live by what God says will see mountains move that God wants moved.” Prayerfully abiding in Christ is an act that is “profoundly relational,” Briscoe said.

 

If “whatever you ask in prayer” has not happened yet, he said, “do not assume it can’t or won’t. Don’t give up. This promise is an invitation to come further up and further in to knowing God. And those who have taken God up on this invitation testify that the audacious promises of God are for those audacious enough to believe them.” We must persevere in prayer.

 

Even Jesus Had Unanswered Prayers

Philip Yancey reminds us that even Jesus had “unanswered prayers” while He lived on earth. He spent an entire night in prayer before choosing His disciples, likely asking the Father to point out the best followers — the cream of the crop. Yet He then chose Judas.

And impulsive Peter. And the “Sons of Thunder.” Did the Father answer His prayer?

Were these the exact men Jesus needed to become disciples?

“The Son of God himself could only work with the talent pool available,” Yancey said.

 

Then, when Jesus struggled in prayer, pleading in the Garden of Gethsemane, He “offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death” (Hebrews 5:7).

Hebrews 5:7-9 (NKJV)
⁷ who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, ⁸ though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. ⁹ And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

 

But Jesus was not delivered from death. He prayed for one thing, and got something else. “When Jesus prayed to the one who could save him from death, he did not get that salvation; instead, he got the salvation of the world,” Yancey said.

 

Jesus prayed another prayer that is yet unanswered. He prayed for all who would believe through the disciples’ message; he prayed they would be one, in unity. Clearly, this prayer is yet unanswered in the church.

 

One final prayer remains unanswered. Jesus said, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We still await the Kingdom in its fullness.

Kingdom = authority

 

God Moves Powerfully, Even in Unanswered Prayers

Gary E. Yates — who wrote about a chaplain’s unanswered prayer for Dale Earnhardt — also wrote, “The greatest demonstrations of God’s power are often found in his answers to our unanswered prayers.”

Yates noted that a man named Bob Mitchell In the 1950’s prayed for the safety of five young missionaries who went to the jungles of South America in order to share the gospel with the Auca Indians. But Jim Elliott and his four companions were brutally murdered.

 

“Years later,” Yates wrote, “Mitchell attended a conference in Europe and met an evangelist who was one of the Auca Indians that had murdered Elliott and the other missionaries. Only God could orchestrate that kind of answer to an unanswered prayer.”

 

“From Killers to Christians: Fifty Years Ago, Five Missionaries Dared to Bring the Gospel to Ecuador’s fearsome Auca Indians and Helped Work a Miracle”

Unanswered Prayers Part 1

How to Pray Using the PRAY Method an acronym

These four aspects of prayer based on the Lord’s Prayer can provide a structure and flow for your prayer life. Approach them like dance steps rather than hard-and-fast rules to infuse freshness into your prayers.

Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)
⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

 

Pause

 Jesus said . . . ,“When you pray, . . .”

To start we must stop. To move forward we must pause. This is the first step: Put down your wish list and wait. Sit quietly. “Be still and know that I am God.” Become fully present in place and time so that your scattered senses can recenter themselves on God’s eternal presence. Stillness and silence prepare your mind and prime your heart to pray from a place of greater peace, faith, and adoration. In fact, these are themselves important forms of prayer.

Rejoice

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invitation to adoration: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name.” Having paused to be still at the start of a prayer time, the most natural and appropriate response to God’s presence is reverence. Try not to skip this bit. Hallowing the Father’s name is the most important and enjoyable dimension of prayer. Linger here, rejoicing in God’s blessings before asking for more.

Ask

Your kingdom come, your will be done. . . . Give us today our daily bread.

Prayer means many things to many people, but at its simplest and most immediate, it means asking God for help. It’s a soldier begging for courage, a mother alone in a hospital chapel. The Lord’s Prayer invites us to ask God for everything from “daily bread” to the “kingdom come,” for ourselves (petition) and for others (intercession).

Yield

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. . . . Amen.

The final step in the dance of prayer is surrender. It’s a clenched fist slowly opening; an athlete lowering into an ice bath; a field of California poppies turning to the sun. We yield to God’s presence “on earth as in heaven” through contemplative prayer and by listening to His Word, which is “our daily bread.” We yield to God’s holiness through confession and reconciliation, praying, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” And we yield to His power in spiritual warfare, asking our Father to “deliver us from evil.” It’s by surrendering to God that we overcome, by emptying ourselves that we are filled, and by yielding our lives in prayer that our lives themselves become a prayer—the Lord’s Prayer—in the end.

 

So,

 

What Are We to Make of Unanswered Prayers?

Gary Yates, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, tells the story of a chaplain’s prayer. Chaplain Max Helton prayed beside the car of racecar driver Dale Earnhardt prior to the start of the 2001 Daytona 500. Holding hands, “they prayed for wisdom and safety,” Yates said. But Earnhardt lost his life in that race — in a final lap crash. Yates asked why God did not bring wisdom and safety when He promised believers, “Ask and you will receive.”

 

Puzzled by such “unanswered prayers,” some believers wonder whether Jesus was being totally truthful when He said,

“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

 

What are “unanswered prayers” and how do we explain them considering Scripture?

 

What Do We Mean When We Say ‘Unanswered’ Prayers?

When we think of the phrase “unanswered prayer,” many questions might come to mind. Does God hear all our prayers?

How does God respond to our requests?

Do we believe that He is capable of making mistakes?

Do we think we are entitled to what we ask of God?

Is there something in us that causes God to withhold or delay an answer?

Do we need to learn how to be better pray-ers?

 

Most people find prayer mysterious. We don’t always understand how it “works,” let alone how it “doesn’t work.”

When we believe our prayers aren’t answered, we might wonder whether our faith is small or if there are any one of a hundred reasons why God might turn away from our prayers.

 

“Unanswered prayer” is intensely personal. It’s how we view God’s response to our prayers.

The more theologically clever usually don’t like the phrase “unanswered prayer.” In reality, they say, there are no unanswered prayers.

The sovereign God is also a good Heavenly Father, and He gives His redeemed children what they would have asked for — if they knew everything that He knows!

 

Does God Hear All of Our Prayers?

God hears every one of His children’s prayers, and He answers them with “good gifts” in His good time and in His way.

Scriptures teach us His “ears” are tuned to the cries of the righteous.

 

He does not forget or forsake (abandon) His own. In fact, God knows our needs before we even ask in prayer.

Satan wants us to believe our Heavenly Father doesn’t care about us, but God is attentive to His children, and He cares about our concerns.

 

Sometimes Christians, discouraged by seeming unanswered prayers, assume that God has forgotten them. David voiced this in;

Psalm 13:13, saying, “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?”

He cried out for God to answer him. Likewise, we want to know that God is listening and truly wants to give us the desires of our heart; but sometimes we feel He has shut up the heavens, and the silence unsettles us. Asaph asked,

“Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he shut up his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7-9).

Psalm 77:7-9 (NKJV)
⁷ Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more?
⁸ Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

 

We are not forgotten by the one who has engraved us on the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:15-16).

Isaiah 49:15-16 (NKJV)
¹⁵ “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.
¹⁶ See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

 

God “closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people” (Proverbs 15:29b, Msg).

Believers don’t need to fear that they’re not “praying right,” because the Spirit of God helps us in our weakness, interceding for us with

Romans 8:26-28 (NKJV)
²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. “Wordless groans”

 

He knows and interprets the cries of our hearts.

 

How Might God Respond to Our Prayers?

As we draw close to the throne of grace with confidence, we need to recognize that our Father God is sovereign in His replies. God appears to answer every prayer with either “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” He desires to answer believer’s prayers, and He does not withhold any good thing from those who do what is right — like every good and loving father. He delights in blessing His children and graciously giving them things.

 

But sometimes, God may answer believers’ requests with “no” because to answer “yes” is not good for them or is against His good will. Sometimes we get caught up in our frustration or pain, and we accuse God of disappointing us, abandoning us. But God may have something planned for us that is much better than we hoped or imagined.

Isn’t “No” an Answer?

Amy Carmichael

Just a tiny little child
Three years old,

And a mother with a heart

All of gold.

Often did that mother say,

Jesus hears us when we pray,

For He’s never far away
And He always answers.

 

Now, that tiny little child

Had brown eyes,

And she wanted blue instead

Like blue skies.

For her mother’s eyes were blue

Like forget-me-nots. She knew

All her mother said was true,

Jesus always answered.

 

So, she prayed for two blue eyes,

Said “Good night,”

Went to sleep in deep content

And delight.

Woke up early, climbed a chair

By a mirror. Where, O where

Could the blue eyes be? Not there;

Jesus hadn’t answered.

 

Hadn’t answered her at all;

Never more

Could she pray; her eyes were brown

As before.

Did a little soft wind blow?

Came a whisper soft and low,

“Jesus answered. He said, No;

Isn’t No an answer?”

 

The above poem, written by Amy Carmichael, was based on incident that actually did occur in her life when she was three. It turned out to be in the providence of God for her to have brown eyes. She became a missionary to India in the late 1890s. At first her ministry was primarily evangelistic. But along the way she became aware that some parents in India sold their daughters to the temple, where they were used for immoral purposes. God led one such child to her, and through a series of events and a sense of the Lord’s leading, Amy took the child in. Then more stories of other girls (and later, boys) surfaced and more opportunities to rescue and provide homes for these children arose. Amy had to struggle with this, because the Lord had seemed to be blessing her evangelistic work. Was it right to turn from that ministry to give herself to housing and raising children? She concluded that that was indeed God’s will for her life. The ministry grew exponentially and eventually became a whole compound, with housing for children of all ages, the workers who took care of them, and even their own hospital.

 

As Amy went “undercover” to find details of these children, she would stain her arms with coffee and wear Indian dress so that she could pass as an Indian woman and move freely in Indian society where she never could have as an Irish missionary. This she could not have done with blue eyes — her eyes would have given her away immediately. Neither she nor her mother could have ever known, all those years ago, the Lord’s purpose for her brown eyes, but the lesson of faith stayed with her all her life.